Time for a Change
by rubycaspar
Summary: Merlin and Arthur encounter future versions of themselves while out hunting, and have to deal with Arthur finding out Merlin's secret while trying to keep their future selves from getting in too much trouble. Oh, and there's a huge beast on the loose.
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer – I don't own Merlin._

_Right, this is my very first Merlin story, so feedback would really be appreciated. This just a very short prologue – I'll hopefully have the first chapter up later today. _

**Prologue**

"Merlin."

"Shush."

"_Mer_lin."

"_Shush_."

"Mer_lin_!"

"Oh for the love of – _what_?"

"How much longer?"

"That depends on whether you can shut up for more than two seconds."

"I _meant _are we going to get there any time soon?"

"How on _earth _would I know?"

"It's been seventeen jumps."

"I know."

"This will be eighteen jumps."

"I _know_."

"I just don't think my foot can take anymore…"

"Wait – there! There it is! Alright, hold on."

"Could you not land on my foot this time?"

"Oh shut up."

"Seriously Merlin – just _try_."

"Hold on."

"Holding on. Number eighteen here we come."

"Right. _Mannon ist annah._"


	2. A Beasty

_Thanks to my reviewers__ for the prologue – this chapter is definitely more substantial than the last! _

**Chapter One**

"Right, stay still and don't make a _sound_."

Arthur glared at Merlin to emphasise his words, and Merlin glared right back at him. He hadn't made a sound, not one _peep_ since they had started tracking the stag ten minutes ago.

It was times like this that Merlin was really tempted to step on a twig.

Instead he just looked away, back towards the stag that stood about twenty feet away. It was side-on, eating the grass at the foot of a tree. Arthur had a clear shot, but when Merlin looked at him expectantly he saw that the prince was scanning the woods, frowning.

Merlin rolled his eyes. Arthur knew that he hated hunting, and was purposefully dragging out the experience just to annoy him. Sure enough, Arthur gestured for Merlin to follow him and then ran out from the tree they stood behind. Merlin glared after him for a moment and then followed Arthur to behind a large fallen tree. He crouched down next to him and peered at the stag – they were closer now, and still had a clear shot. Merlin decided that if Arthur didn't take the shot he going to steal the crossbow and have a go himself. He'd miss, but whatever.

Luckily for Arthur and Merlin's relationship, the prince was indeed pointing his crossbow at the stag. Merlin turned away, still unwilling to watch the actual moment of the kill, and shut his eyes tight.

That was when he felt it. The kind of tingle at the edge of his senses that he knew was magic. Since his encounter with Nimueh on the Isle of the Blessed, his instincts and magical reactions had been stronger than ever – too strong sometimes. He could sense the slightest bit of magic performed near him – and there was more in Camelot than Uther would be comfortable with – and he could sense magical ability in others. Sometimes in people he had least expected to find it in.

Merlin had learnt to use this 'sixth sense' to differentiate between people and spells, and could almost know who someone was and what they were doing without even looking at them. Which was why what he sensed now was so troubling – he didn't recognise it at all. All he could tell was that it was powerful. Very powerful.

And getting stronger with every moment.

"Get down!" Merlin cried out, turning back to Arthur.

The stag didn't bother to look round at the sound of Merlin's voice – he just took off, leaping over roots and quickly disappearing amongst the trees. Arthur rounded on Merlin, looking murderous.

"MERLIN! You are –"

Merlin didn't give Arthur a chance to finish insulting him; he grabbed his shoulders and pushed him down. Arthur tensed and probably could have stayed still, but he must have sensed Merlin's panic, and allowed himself to be brought into a low crouch behind the tree.

Barely a second later a strong, unnaturally warm wind blew through the trees, whipping leaves and small branches into the air above their heads.

"What the – where did this damn wind come from?!" Arthur exclaimed, having to yell over the noise of the creaking trees.

Merlin just shook his head – he didn't have an answer for Arthur. The wind continued to blow over their heads, and the power Merlin felt continued to grow stronger; whatever it was, it was moving towards them, and must be the cause of the wind.

Even as Merlin thought it, the wind dropped as suddenly as it had started. There were crunching and crashing sounds as branches, leaves and twigs fell to the floor – several of them landing on Merlin and Arthur's heads – but then silence. Arthur tensed, about to stand up, but Merlin shook his head at him, his eyes wide. Whatever the source of that raw magical power was hadn't disappeared with the wind. In fact it had reached the peak of its intensity, and stopped growing. Whatever it was, it was here.

"Merlin, what are –"

"_Shush_!"

Arthur barely had time to give Merlin an indignant look before the air was filled with a high-pitched, ear-splitting roar.

Arthur's look turned from indignation to fear and shock, and for a moment he and Merlin just looked at each other, frozen still. Then, slowly as possible, they both knelt up to look over the top of the fallen tree. All of Merlin's senses – all six of them – were yelling at him to get the hell out of there, but he knew he had to see what he was dealing with if he was going to protect Arthur and himself.

As soon as he saw it he wished he hadn't looked.

It was a… well, he wasn't sure really. If he'd had to name it, he would have said _wolf_. But… it was at least five times the size as a wolf. In fact it would have easily snapped a normal wolf in half with one bite of its massive jaws. Its snout was slightly shorter than a conventional wolf, and it had huge front fangs that were at least a foot long and protruded past its lower jaw. Its ears were pointier than a wolf's, and bigger, and its tail was shorter and stockier. Its silver fur was thick and ragged, and as Merlin and Arthur watched it shook itself, the leaves and twigs on its back falling to the ground. It pawed at the forest ground, gouging the hard soil with its massive claws, and sniffed the air.

Merlin felt Arthur reach for his crossbow and reached out to stop him, shaking his head. He was sure the beast hadn't noticed them yet, and he was positive that a crossbow would have little effect on something like that. He would just have to think of something that would.

Before he could, before he could think of anything better than trying to run away, the best turned its head and looked straight at Merlin and Arthur. Merlin gulped – its eyes were a block colour, like a blind man's; they were bright red.

The beast roared again, a sound nothing like what a wolf would make, and jumped round so it was facing the pair behind the tree.

Merlin and Arthur scrambled to their feet and backed away, Arthur firing his crossbow as they did so. The shot was good, and it hit the beast exactly where its heart would be, but it glanced straight off its matted fur without leaving a mark. Arthur swore and tossed his crossbow away, reaching for his sword. Merlin kept backing away, trying desperately to think of some spell, _any _spell that might be worth trying.

Nothing came to mind before the creature lunged.

Arthur yelled something that Merlin couldn't hear over the beast's roar, but he guessed the meaning when Arthur was suddenly in front of him, his sword held out and ready. Merlin watched in horror as the beast went straight for Arthur. Arthur wasted no time in thrusting his sword straight at the creature's chest, but like the arrow it glanced uselessly off its fur, and the beast responded by swiping at Arthur with its paw. Arthur was thrown into the air and towards a nearby tree.

Merlin acted completely out of instinct. His hand flew out towards Arthur, who froze in the mid-air, before falling slowly and gently to the ground before he could hit the tree. Without even waiting to watch the spell he'd cast he raised his other hand at the beast. Words that he didn't recognise and had no control over exploded from him, and a shaft of golden light shot from his hand and straight at the beast's chest. The beast had turned its attention to Merlin after dealing with Arthur, but it jumped back with a yelp as the light hit it.

Merlin couldn't see that the light had made any kind of physical impression on the beast, but it must have had some effect, because it growled and bared its teeth at Merlin, but didn't make a move to get back to him. Its red eyes seemed to glow for a moment, and then, without any warning, it vanished, leaving a faint red glow like a phantom outline behind it.

Merlin blinked, surprised by its sudden departure, and concentrated on his sixth sense, feeling out the beast's power. He could still feel it, but it was rapidly fading. He shut his eyes and really focused, but he was definitely right – it was gone. In fact, the power of the beast had faded into the background, and Merlin could concentrate on the other – much weaker – power he could sense.

Merlin's eyes flew open. "Arthur!" He called out, running across to the prince.

Arthur was already sitting up, and had a hand on his head. He looked up at Merlin as he ran over, and the look on his face made Merlin stop in his tracks. He didn't look scared, or shocked, or anything like he should feel after being attacked by an unknown magical beast.

He looked suspicious.

Merlin swallowed nervously. _Whoops_.

Arthur frowned and stood up. "Merlin, what –"

Before Arthur could continue with what Merlin was sure would be a sentence he wouldn't like _at all_, Merlin another tingle of approaching power and spun round to face the direction it was coming from. Arthur stopped talking and also looked in that direction, because this particular source of power's appearance was accompanied by a loud exclamation.

"OW! You landed on my foot AGAIN!"

_Tbc…_


	3. Seeing Double

_Thank you to all my reviewers so far, I'm glad people seem to be enjoying the story! Please let me know what you think of this chapter, and Happy New Year!! _

**Chapter Two**

"OW! You landed on my foot AGAIN!"

"Shush!"

"_Shush_? You've broken my foot!"

"Will you _shut up_? It might still be here!"

"Oh come _on_. I may not have your sixth sense but even I can see the thing's not here anymore."

"Yeah I think you're right."

Merlin and Arthur stood side by side, twin looks of confusion on their faces as they stared through the trees at the two people who had just appeared out of nowhere. Merlin supposed that he – and Arthur, for that matter – should be preparing to defend themselves against possible danger, but Merlin didn't really feel like they were in any danger from the new arrivals.

For one thing, the two new arrivals were paying them no attention at all – they had appeared with their backs to them, and hadn't turned to face them fully. Instead they'd both looked over at where the beast had been before it had disappeared, and where you could still see traces of red in the air. Secondly, both seemed completely preoccupied by their own concerns, and they didn't seem to be anything to do with Merlin and Arthur. The blond one was hopping on the spot, nursing his injured foot and scowling at the other one, who had dark hair and was obviously trying to ignore him and concentrate.

Thirdly, they were _them_.

There were differences, definite differences, but there was no getting away from it. The two people who had just appeared out of nowhere were Merlin and Arthur. The blond one, the one complaining about his foot, was obviously Arthur. He had a beard, and his hair was slightly longer, but Merlin would recognize the voice and the scowl anywhere. The other man had shoulder-length black hair and a goatee that was quite long at the chin, but apart from those differences it was like Merlin was looking in a mirror – it was him.

Merlin glanced at Arthur –the one next to him – to find the prince staring at the other two, his mouth hanging open in shock. He started to shake his head, like he didn't quite believe what he was seeing. Merlin would have been inclined to disbelieve with him, but for his 'sixth sense', as the other Arthur had called it.

Because he could sense Arthur, and he felt exactly the same as the one standing next to him, except maybe a little stronger. Merlin concentrated, and tried to sense the other Merlin, but was immediately repelled. He frowned. There was power there, he was sure of it, but it wasn't like any other he'd felt. Maybe it was that it was _him_, but he just couldn't get the actual feel of the power like he could with everyone else.

Before Merlin could figure it out, the other him suddenly froze.

"What?" Asked the other Arthur, frowning.

The other Merlin looked at him. "We're here."

The other Arthur slumped with relief. "Thank _god_," he said. "So where are we – oh."

Merlin and Arthur tensed as the other two turned to look at them, both of them with amused smiles on their faces.

"Hello," said the other Merlin cheerfully.

"Er, hello," replied Merlin.

"_Don't talk to them!_" Hissed Arthur, looking at him as though he were crazy. Merlin rolled his eyes at him.

"Why not?" He asked. "It's not as though they'll go away if we just ignore them."

"They might, you don't know," said Arthur.

"Um, we won't."

Merlin and Arthur both jumped at the sound of the other Merlin's voice, which was a lot closer than before. They turned to look at the others again to find that while they'd been arguing they had walked through the trees towards them and were now only six feet away. Merlin gave his other self a kind of embarrassed smile, but Arthur pointed his sword straight at them.

"Don't come any closer!" He ordered. The other Merlin and Arthur obediently stopped, though they both looked like they were trying not to laugh.

"Alright," said Arthur. "Who are you, and what is going on here?"

The other Merlin sighed. "It's alright Arthur," he said. "We're not going to harm you. And really, don't you recognise us?" He winked, which just seemed to incense Arthur, who swiped his sword through the air.

"You expect me to believe that you two are _us_?" He retorted. "Again, who are you, and what is your business with Camelot?"

The other Merlin shook his head and nodded at the other Arthur. "You see how annoying you are?" He said to him.

The other Arthur rolled his eyes and turned to face Arthur again, squaring his shoulders. "We really are you, whether you believe it or not," he said. "But we're not here because of Camelot, or even because of you. We're tracking that beast."

Merlin's eyebrows shot up. "You're tracking it?" He asked. "Really? How?"

"What did I say about talking, Merlin?" Arthur growled. Merlin just rolled his eyes and looked at his other self again.

"What is it? Where did it come from? And where did it go?"

"Enough of this!" Arthur snapped before the other Merlin could answer. "Surrender your weapons. We will continue this discussion back in Camelot."

The other Arthur shook his head. "No, I don't think so," he said dryly.

Arthur wasn't fazed by his counterpart's answer. "I am arresting you both for sorcery," he said. With his sword still out and a determined look on his face, he started forward.

The other Arthur had his sword out its sheath faster than Merlin would have ever believed possible, and he took a step forward towards Arthur. Before Merlin could so much as open his mouth to warn Arthur, though, the other Merlin raised his hand. His eyes flashed gold and both Arthurs froze.

Merlin's jaw dropped as he stared at the two princes, who stood like armed statues, still glaring at each other. Their eyes were moving, left to right, but the rest of them was perfectly still.

The other Merlin walked round the other Arthur so that he was standing in front of him, and smacked him on the side of the head.

"You realise that that is _yourself_ you were about to attack?" He said in a patronising tone. "Idiot." He shook his head and then started to prise the other Arthur's sword out of his frozen hand.

Merlin took a step forward, so that he was standing in between the two Arthurs with the other him. He glanced at Arthur as he did – though his face was frozen in a glare, his eyes were on him. Merlin gave him what he hoped was a comforting look.

"Um… you can, er, undo this, right?" He asked his other self nervously.

The other Merlin shrugged. "Well, yes, if you really want me to," he said. He turned around and smirked at Merlin. "Don't you prefer them this way though?"

Merlin laughed, but stopped quickly when he felt not one but two sets of Arthur's eyes glaring at him.

"Let's just disarm them so they don't kill each other, and then I'll unfreeze them both," the other Merlin said.

Merlin nodded and turned towards Arthur but as he did he noticed the sword the other him was now holding. He gasped. "That's Excalibur!"

The other Merlin just nodded and Merlin, after gaping at the sword for a few moments, remembered the task at hand and turned to his own Arthur. He carefully pulled Arthur's fingers away from the hilt of his sword – so dull and common next to Excalibur – and soon had the sword away from him and tucked under one arm. He turned to face the other him again.

"So you believe that I'm you then?" The other Merlin asked him.

Merlin hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. "Well, yeah," he said. "You're a little hard to read, but Arthur's the same."

The other Merlin nodded. "I – we – have a sort of in-built shield," he said. "We just do it naturally. I can't read you either."

Merlin nodded. "Oh… alright."

"In answer to your question before," the other Merlin said, "it's a Tempfera. It's very powerful."

"I got that," said Merlin ruefully. "Where did it go?"

The other Merlin shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "The Tempfera can travel through time. When it disappears like that it usually reappears in an entirely different time, though not far away from the physical place it started at. You scared it away, so it would have definitely jumped through time rather than space in order to get away from you."

Merlin was well aware that his mouth was hanging open, but he couldn't help that. The beast _travelled__ through time_? He'd never heard of such a thing, or even imagined such a thing was possible. And the other Arthur had said they'd been tracking it… through _time_?

The other Merlin smiled. "I know what you're thinking," he said. "It's not impossible. It's just very powerful, old magic. We've been tracking it, but it's not been easy. Every time we jump, I have to feel the air for the trace of its jump, so that we can follow it. It doesn't last long, so I have to work quickly."

Merlin glanced over at the spot where the beast had disappeared – sure enough, the red was entirely gone. But… wait, did that mean they were _stuck_ here?

"It's alright, we don't need to follow it now," the other Merlin said before Merlin could ask. "We were tracking it so that we could find you two. The Tempfera is going to reappear here in two days' time, so we don't have to follow it anymore. We can just stay here, and then it's four of us against the beast rather than just two."

Merlin finally found his voice. "How do you know it will be back?"

The other Merlin grinned at that. "Because I'm _you_," he said. "I stood right there, five years ago, and listened to everything I'm saying right now. Then I spent the next two days alternating between trying to find out as much about the future as possible, and trying to stop Arthur from having a nervous breakdown."

Merlin jumped as though he'd been given an electric shock and whirled round to face Arthur. It wasn't that he'd forgotten Arthur was there, but he'd been so caught up in the strangeness of the whole situation that he'd not really given it any thought. Instead, he'd stood there with his other self – his _future_ self – and cheerily discussed magic and time travel and all kinds of things, in front of the person he most didn't want to find out that he was a warlock.

Well, second most.

"Oh god."

"It will be alright," said the other Merlin. "You'll see." He waved his hand and the other Arthur suddenly unfroze. He immediately swung his hand to smack the other Merlin on the back of the head, but he ducked without even looking.

"Were you not listening to the speech about having lived this conversation before?" The other Merlin asked as he straightened up. "I know when to duck."

The other Arthur didn't look impressed. "I told you not to do that to me again," he said coldly.

The other Merlin rolled his eyes. "Alright, next time I'll just let you kill yourself."

The other Arthur snatched Excalibur out of his hands and sheathed it again. "I wouldn't have hurt him," he grumbled.

The other Merlin turned towards Arthur, who was still frozen, but Merlin shook his head and jumped in front of him. "No, wait!" He exclaimed.

The other Merlin just grinned. "I was going to," he said.

Merlin nodded and spun round to face the frozen Arthur, who was looking straight at him, his face still in the same glaring expression. Merlin didn't imagine his expression would change much once he could move again.

"Alright," he said quickly. "I can do magic. I'm not a sorcerer, not in the way you think of them, of magic, not that way… um… I can just, er, do magic. I'm not bad. I'm good. I swear! In fact I've saved your life a few times, bet you didn't know that… um… okay, I'm rambling now. Look, I guess what I want to say is I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, and I'm sorry you found out this way, and… um… please don't have me killed?"

Merlin closed his eyes and shook his head, appalled by his choice of words. He wasn't particularly eloquent anyway, but that had really been something else.

He opened his eyes to find Arthur still glaring at him, but very much animate again. They stared at each in silence for a moment, and with each passing second Arthur's expression seemed to get darker and darker. Eventually he squared his shoulders and held out his hand for his sword.

Merlin hesitated for a second and then handed it to him. Arthur stood still for a moment longer before lifting his sword and sheathing it quickly. Merlin jumped.

Arthur glared at Merlin again. "I think we should go back to Camelot," he said flatly.

Merlin swallowed and nodded. This was bad. He wasn't used to this kind of treatment from Arthur; usually, when he was angry, Merlin _knew_. This cold silence was worse, much worse than any amount of shouting and thumps on the head. He was _really _mad.

Arthur turned on his heel and strode through the trees towards Camelot, passing the other them as he went. He didn't spare them a glance. Merlin looked after him, and then over at the other two. The other Arthur just shrugged at him in a sympathetic kind of way.

_It will be alright, Merlin_.

Merlin blinked and stared at his other self. He could hear his voice in his head – just like when the dragon had first called to him.

_He will not betray you. _

Merlin nodded and looked after Arthur again.

_Maybe not_, he answered his other self. _But will he forgive me? _

TBC


	4. To Camelot

Sorry for the delay in updating this story – I've been very busy wit uni work, and also this chapter is very transitionary, so pretty boring to write! The next chapter is almost finished, so the next update won't take as long.

Thanks so much for all the reviews so far!

**Chapter Three**

This wasn't good. Not at all. They'd been walking for half an hour and Arthur had yet to say a single word to any of them. He just ploughed on ahead, kicking branches out of his way and making birds and small animals take flight as he approached.

Merlin followed him at what he deemed to be a safe distance, and the other Merlin and Arthur followed behind him. They had had a short whispered conversation when they had started walking, and from the little Merlin had managed to hear of it he guessed it was about where they were going to hide in Camelot. Merlin didn't really worry about it – as his future self had said, they'd already lived this once, and so presumably they knew what to do.

He just wished they'd tell him what to do about Arthur. The other Merlin had said that it would be alright, that Arthur wouldn't betray him, and that was obviously the case since his future self was alive. So that's fine. But he was sure Arthur would be absolutely furious with him, and that he'd be paying for keeping his magic a secret for a long time.

Of course, the future Merlin and Arthur seemed to get along alright, so Merlin supposed that everything would eventually work itself out. He just had to get through the next little while.

Just ahead of Merlin, Arthur pulled out his sword and used it to hack apart a small bush that he could have easily avoided by walking round the other side of a tree.

Merlin shook his head. This was _not _going to be fun.

_Merlin_.

Merlin stumbled a little in surprise as his future self's voice sounded in his head. He looked around at him and gave him a questioning look.

_We'll hide in Gaius' rooms for now_, said the older Merlin. _He's not there right now, is he?_

_No_, Merlin answered. _He's_ –

Merlin was cut off abruptly by walking straight into a tree, and decided that he'd be better off keeping his eyes on the path in front of him. He rubbed his head and started walking again, ignoring the laughter behind him.

_Thanks for the warning_, he told his future self sarcastically.

_It's nice to watch rather than experience for once._

_Gaius isn't there, but are you sure you'll be safe there?_

_It will be fine, _the future Merlin assured him. Merlin just shrugged.

A moment later Arthur stopped, and Merlin realised they had reached the edge of the forest. He hurried to catch up with the prince.

"I think we should take them to Gaius' rooms, and hide them there," Merlin said to him.

Arthur just glared at him, and Merlin took that as an invitation to continue.

"Gaius is visiting Greeaner – he won't be back until tomorrow afternoon sometime," he explained.

Arthur didn't say anything, he just glanced back at their future selves and kept walking.

Merlin grimaced back at the other two and then followed.

Arthur picked up his pace as soon as they got out of the forest, but Merlin didn't do the same – they would be a lot more conspicuous entering the city with the prince. Besides, Arthur couldn't shout at him if he wasn't there.

The future Merlin and Arthur both had hooded cloaks with them, which they drew up over their heads as they got near the city. No one paid them any attention anyway – the market was on in the castle that day and the entire place was swarming with traders and travellers. Merlin led them through the crowd towards Gaius' rooms, keeping a wary eye out just in case.

He was extremely glad that Gaius happened to be out of town collecting stores from Greeaner. Not that he wouldn't be a useful person to have around to help keep the future visitors hidden or help him make sense of what was happening, but Merlin knew Gaius would have some very strong views about time travel, and try to stop Merlin finding out about the future. Because that's what he planned to do. Well, how often do you meet your future self?

They didn't meet anyone when they got inside the castle, and Merlin quickly led the other two into Gaius' rooms and shut the door behind them.

"Are you _sure _you'll be safe in here?" Merlin asked worriedly. Sure, Gaius was away, but people would probably keep stopping by anyway.

"Where else would you suggest?" The future Merlin asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly. Merlin drew a blank, and his future self smiled. "Don't worry, it will all be fine. We will hide here for the next couple of days, and then we will go back into the forest, kill the Tempfera, and return to our own time."

"Is it easy to do?" Merlin asked eagerly. "Time travel?

His future self smiled again. "I wouldn't say easy, no," he said. "It takes a lot of concentration."

"How did you learn?"

"I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise…"

"I hate surprises."

"Well that's a lie."

Merlin rolled his eyes – he should have known arguing with himself was a lost cause. He rocked on his heels, looking absently around the room.

"You don't do that anymore," said the future Arthur suddenly.

Merlin looked over at him, and saw he was talking to his future self, but about him.

"What?" Both Merlins said together.

Arthur shrugged. "You used to be very… well, you never stayed still. It was very annoying," he said, giving Merlin a lopsided smile as he spoke. "I didn't really notice that you're more still now, but compared with _him_…"

The other Merlin gave Merlin an appraising look, and Merlin tried to stay as still as possible. The other Merlin looked at Arthur. "Well I'm older and wiser now…"

Arthur snorted. "You got the first bit right."

The other Merlin didn't bother to deign that with an answer.

The future pair started to make themselves comfortable, drawing chairs nearer to the fire, and the other Merlin held his hand over the small flames, making them jump higher. Arthur didn't bat an eyelid.

Merlin rubbed his hands together. "So, I guess we just wait then?" He said. "Do you want me to find some food?"

"We'll find some," his future self said. "You won't be staying."

Merlin barely had time to frown in confusion before there was a knock on the door. His future self nodded. "It's Arthur," he said.

Damn. Merlin supposed he should have known he wouldn't get out of his browbeating that easily. He hesitated for a moment, and then walked over to the door and pulled it open.

Arthur had divested himself of his hunting gear, and was standing in the corridor with his arms folded and a dark glare on his face. The glare only intensified when Merlin opened the door.

"Come with me," Arthur said coldly.

All Merlin could do was nod.

He took off the leather hunting bag he still had over one shoulder and set it down by a chair inside the room. He looked over at the future visitors, both of whom were giving him strange looks, alternating between sympathy, encouragement and amusement. The future Merlin gave him a small smile which Merlin returned.

Merlin was just turning to leave when he felt it – a presence in the tiny room off of the main one, where Gaius kept all of his stores. He had no trouble identifying who it was.

Merlin spun back round to face the doorway to the other room, his mind reeling. How much had she heard? How would he explain this to her? How would he keep her from seeing the other Merlin and Arthur?

_It's alright_, came the other Merlin's voice in his head. Merlin turned to look at his future self, who was watching him from the other side of the room. _I'll speak to her_.

Merlin frowned, not sure if this was the best idea, but Arthur was standing in the corridor just behind him, waiting impatiently. The other Merlin nodded. _Go_.

Merlin nodded back and followed Arthur out into the corridor. He would just have to trust his future self. Still, as he followed Arthur through the halls of the palace, he couldn't help but wonder – why had his future self insisted on a hiding place that would put them in the path of Gwen?

_TBC_


	5. Explanations

This chapter's all talk, but I hope that doesn't put off people! Please do let me know what you think of it.

**Chapter Four**

Arthur was completely silent as he led Merlin through the castle towards his chambers, and Merlin was left to guess how much trouble he was in from the look of Arthur's back. By the tense set of his shoulders, Merlin had a feeling it was heaps.

Merlin really didn't know how this was going to go down. His future self had implied that Arthur wouldn't say anything, but Merlin wasn't so sure. Maybe his future self had just been trying not to worry him. Arthur was mad, madder than Merlin had ever seen him before, and he had a feeling this conversation was going to be the least pleasant of his life.

At least he knew he wasn't going to actually kill him. That was something.

Merlin followed Arthur into his rooms, and Arthur gestured for Merlin to sit at one end of the table. Inviting him to sit was rather strange, but once he'd done so, Merlin knew why he had – Arthur was still standing, and even though he was several feet away he was now towering over him. Merlin sat back in the chair and waited for Arthur to say something.

Arthur made sure the door was closed and started to pace, glaring between the wall, the floor and Merlin. "So," he said after a minute or so. "_So_." Merlin remained silent and after a moment Arthur stopped and stared at him. "Well?"

Merlin blinked. "Well… what?" He said stupidly.

"What?" Arthur repeated in disbelief. "_What_ do you have to say for yourself?" He demanded.

Merlin frowned. "Say for myself?"

Arthur strode over to the table and stood opposite Merlin, leaning on one hand. He pointed the other at Merlin's face. "You should be in the dungeons right now, Merlin, but I have decided to give you a chance to explain yourself first," he said fiercely. "So. _Speak_."

Merlin's jaw dropped a little in surprise – Arthur was actually giving him a chance to explain! All Merlin had expected was to be yelled at. "Right'" he said, pulling himself together. "Right. Alright. I'm not… really sure where to start."

That earned an ultra-frosty glare from Arthur, so Merlin quickly carried on. "So you… you've probably guessed I can do magic…"

Arthur folded his arms over his chest, still glaring. "I worked that much out, yes."

"Right," said Merlin. He wished he'd given this moment more thought – decided how he would explain all this to Arthur given the chance. The truth was, he'd never really expected to be given that chance. Not like this, anyway. He hadn't exactly expected Arthur to kill him on the spot if he found out about his magic or anything like that, but Arthur had been raised to believe sorcery was evil, and it would be difficult for him to see past that.

Merlin decided that would be a good place to start.

"I think it's important to know that I'm not a sorcerer," he said. "I don't _study _magic. Well I do, sort of, but not… like a sorcerer." Merlin rolled his eyes at his lack of eloquence and didn't see Arthur do the same.

"When did you start using magic?" Arthur demanded coldly.

This was good – Merlin could answer questions easier than telling the story himself. "I didn't," he said, looking up at Arthur. He clasped his hands together on the tabletop and leaned forward. "That's what I mean when I say I'm not a sorcerer. Sorcerers learn how to do magic – they study it so they can perform spells. I've always been able to do magic, as far back as I can remember. I didn't learn it."

Merlin paused – at least Arthur seemed to be listening. He wasn't glaring now, but the glare had been replaced by a frown. Words were coming easier now, and Merlin felt a profound sense of relief to finally get this all off his chest.

"My magic, it's… instinctual. A lot of the time I don't even have to say words to do a spell. Like… well, like today. When the tempfera threw you towards that tree I didn't say anything or even really think about what I wanted to happen, I just froze you and put you one the ground and then attacked the tempfera. It just happened."

Merlin stopped again, and this time Arthur spoke up. "I've never heard of magic being performed without words before," he said, his frown deepening.

"I know," said Merlin. "I honestly don't know how I do it. But it's not something I can help, it's just a part of who I am. Gaius calls me a warlock."

Merlin closed his eyes in horror as he realised that he'd just landed Gaius in it too – there was no telling what Arthur's reaction to this all was going to be, and now Gaius might get in trouble too.

There was a short silence. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," said Arthur eventually.

Merlin opened his eyes again. "Thank you," he said emphatically.

Arthur started to pace again, and Merlin watched him silently. He could tell the prince was thinking over what he'd just told him, and decided to just let him work through it. After a little while, he stopped in front of the table again.

"Alright. Let's say, for argument's sake, that I believe you," he said. "If you do magic without really thinking about it, how do you control it?"

"Most of the time I do use words," said Merlin. "It's easier, and when I say the words I know exactly what spell I'm using rather than just hoping it turns out the way I want. Though I can still control my wordless magic if I concentrate. I… do you remember when we first met? You chased me through the town?"

Arthur quirked an eyebrow. "Yes."

"Remember how you… kept tripping over things?" Merlin said, grimacing as he spoke.

Arthur's eyes widened. "That was…?" He gaped at Merlin for a moment before placing both hands on the table and leaning towards him. "Are you _insane_? You were using magic on the crown prince of Camelot, where magic is forbidden? And in broad daylight?" He practically shouted.

Merlin shrugged.

Arthur shook his head. "You know, you being able to do magic is less surprising than the fact you haven't been _caught _before now," he said.

Merlin had to chuckle at that, but stopped quickly when he realised Arthur didn't find it the least bit funny.

Arthur was glaring again. "So, it was you in Ealdor, wasn't it?"

Merlin nodded sadly. "Will knew," he said. "He was just protecting me."

"And that witch who disguised herself as Lady Helen and tried to kill me?"

"She put everyone to sleep, but it didn't work on me," Merlin explained. "I dropped the chandelier on her. Then I slowed everything down to get over to you and push you out of the way of her dagger…"

Arthur snorted. "I always did wonder how you got there so fast," he said. He shook his head and sat down opposite Merlin, though he wasn't looking at him. He was staring at the wall, apparently deep in thought. Merlin stayed silent.

Eventually, Arthur spoke again. "How often do you use magic around me?" He asked. "Is it all the time, or just every now and then to stop me getting killed?"

Merlin grinned. "Well your life does need saving more often than the average person.." He said jokingly. Arthur just glared at him again, and Merlin thought about the question.

"It's not that often," Merlin said. "Most of the time." He amended. "Some of the time – only when necessary."

"I dread to think what your definition of necessary is," said Arthur dryly.

They lapsed into silence again, and this time Merlin broke it.

"Are you going to turn me in?" He asked quietly.

Arthur held his gaze for a moment, assessing him coolly, but then shook his head. "No."

Merlin grinned. "Really?! Wow, Arthur, _thank _you –"

"I have some conditions," Arthur interrupted, wiping the grin off Merlin's face.

"Oh." Who knew what crazy conditions Arthur might come up with? Merlin shifted uncomfortably. "What are they?'

Arthur sat up straight in his chair as if it were a throne. "Number one – if you have to use magic again to save my life or prevent an attack on Camelot, or something of that sort again, tell me. I don't like being in the dark about things like that," he said.

Well that was simple enough. "Alright," said Merlin.

"Two. Do _not _perform magic in front of me. Unless it is a matter of life and death. Just don't," said Arthur.

Merlin smiled a bit at that one. "Done. Is there a third?"

Arthur nodded sagely. "Yes, and this one is the most important," he said, leaning forward again. "_Do not _get caught."

Merlin smirked. "That one I can do," he said cheekily.

Arthur glared. "I mean it Merlin," he said. "I do not want anyone else to find out about this. Both our necks are on the line."

Merlin nodded. "Fine. Absolutely fine," he said, trying to sound reassuring.

Arthur didn't look reassured. "Not another soul."

Merlin nodded some more. "Right," he agreed. "Except for maybe Gwen…"

Arthur's face was a picture of anger and exasperation. "What?"

Merlin gave him a small smile. "Well, when we were at Gaius', as we were leaving, I sensed Gwen in the other room and… I think she heard us. Talking to our other selves," he said. Arthur dropped his head onto one of his hands, and Merlin leant forward over the table. "For what it's worth I trust Gwen and I know she won't say anything to anyone. She's my friend," he said. As he said it he realised that it was true – he didn't have to worry about Gwen telling anyone. In fact, it would be quite nice to talk to her about it all.

Arthur looked up. "Are you certain she knows?" He asked.

Merlin thought about it. "No…" He said after a moment. "Well, the other me said that he would talk to her, and I think he meant try to explain things…"

Arthur frowned. "I didn't hear him say anything."

Merlin grimaced slightly. "He didn't say it out loud," he explained. "We can talk in our heads."

Arthur stared at him for a moment. "I could have lived without knowing that," he said drily. "Wait, you said you _sensed _Guinevere?"

Merlin sighed. "Yes. It's part of my… ability. I can sense people. Usually I can only sense people with a magical ability… anyone can do magic if they try hard enough and know the right words and have the proper training, but some people have a natural ability – not like mine, but just a… talent for it, I guess. I can sense that in people."

Arthur was gaping at Merlin in dismay. "Are you saying that… that _Guinevere_…?"

Merlin realised belatedly what that must have sounded like to Arthur. "No – no!" He exclaimed. "No no no. Gwen doesn't have that magical talent – I can sense Gwen because we spend a lot of time together, and I've got used to the feel of her… personality? Character? I don't really know what it is…"

Arthur looked at him suspiciously for a moment more but seemed happy to accept that Gwen didn't have magic. Or at least happy not to know about it if she did.

"Is that what you were talking about in the forest?" He said after a few moments. "You and the other you… you said you couldn't sense him?"

"Yes."

"But you could sense the other me?"

Oh dear. Merlin could see where this was going. "Yes."

"You can sense me like you sense Guinevere?"

Merlin looked away. "Yes…"

Arthur closed his eyes and shook his head. "Don't say it…"

"It's really small," Merlin insisted. "Barely there at all, really…"

Arthur stood up suddenly, and Merlin shut up. "I. Am**. **_Not_**.** A. Sorcerer."

"No!" Merlin said, shaking his head. "You're right, you're not. There's a difference between _having _a magical talent and actually _using _it. You never have to do magic in your life. Ever."

Arthur glared at the wall above the fireplace – Merlin figured that at least it was an improvement from Arthur glaring at _him_.

Merlin cleared his throat. "But… _if_ you ever decided to try, you'd find it easier than some other people…" He said quietly.

Ah, the glare was back on him again. Excellent.

"I think I've had enough of this discussion for tonight," Arthur said coldly. "You should go and make sure that our… other selves are hidden away."

Merlin stood up. "Alright." He started to walk for the door.

"And make sure that Guinevere is alright, I suppose," Arthur added after a moment.

Merlin nodded. "I will," he said. He reached for the door handle but stopped with his hand on it. He looked back – the prince had his back to him, and was staring down at the flames dancing in the fireplace.

"Arthur – thank you," Merlin said. "For letting me explain."

Arthur didn't look back at him. "Don't get caught."

_TBC_


End file.
